Ashes of Light
by imwukong
Summary: SPOILER: This takes place after Season 5 Episode 11. After Cinder fired off the earth-shattering shot at Weiss, Jaune struggles to keep his head clear. He decides to act fast and do his best to save her life. Little did Jaune know, his actions would change the course of his team's fate. This is my first time writing, so please leave honest reviews so I may get better.
1. Chapter 1

**Ashes of Light**

Silence rang out throughout the room. All sounds of the bloodthirsty fight surrounding him stopped dead in their tracks. "Not again." Jaune whispered to himself. "Please. Not this time." He shot a glare filled with wrath towards Cinder, and took off in the direction of his fallen friend. His head swam with all of the memories he and Weiss shared together, all while running top speed and suppressing his tears from falling. " _Let me save her. Please let me save her."_ He thought to himself.

There she lay soaking in a pool of her own blood, desperately clinging to life and the remaining breath in her lungs. Pain coursed through every fiber of her being as her mind, scrambled and racing, struggled to maintain her senses of sight and sound. The rancid taste of iron slowly filled her mouth. Hard despair slowly washed from her as Jaune finally reached her battered body and gently cradled her in his arms.

"It's gonna be okay Weiss. I'm not going to let you leave us, too. I just need you to hang on the best you can." Jaune raggedly whispered in her hair. "Ren! I need you!" Nora responded "Go to him. I'll hold this oaf while you handle her." Ren curtly nodded and ran to Jaune's side, ready to do anything to help. "I need you to calm her emotions so we can slow the blood loss, her mind being in a panic isn't helping her case." relayed Jaune. "I'll use what I can to make a compress and slow the bleeding." Jaune knew very well that he was in no position to save this girl. Jaune had training for all sorts of situations: cuts, poisonings, burns, shallow stabs, a finger or two being lost, but not like this. Weiss was impaled by a red-hot spear that disintegrated while it was still within her. He ripped his sleeves off and tied them to make the best make-shift gauze he could. He lifted her waist and placed the compress under the point of blood rush. Jaune pressed his hands upon her abdomen over the point of entry and told her pleadingly "Be still." His mix of emotions flooded his mind at once and he finally released the tears he had been holding back. "I won't let you go. I can't let you go." he repeatedly said as he held her. The participants of the battle around them resumed their hard-wrought fight.

As tears flooded his vision, he felt a surge of white-hot energy rising within him as his tears dripped down face and felt the work of a thousand hands lifting weight from his shoulders he didn't know was there. Jaune unknowingly glowed and willed this energy towards Weiss. He felt Weiss's breath shift in his arms as she started to convulse. "Dammit, I'm losing her!" as breathed as he continued to cry. "N-No, Jaune. You're saving her. Look!" stammered Ren.

Weiss was slowly being covered in an ebbing wave of mysterious white aura. The flow of blood spouting from the gaping hole in her center began to lose its force, eventually succumbing to the white aura, eventually stopping. Upon closer inspection, her flesh began to reform and twist itself, as if it was in a state of regression. As Jaune's tears continued to flow, Weiss started to regain her senses. She was overcome by a series of thoughts and emotions as air flowed into her lungs, and Jaune into her sight.

"What happened to me? I thought I was done for?" coughed Weiss. "I don't understand it myself, but you're here now." said Jaune through his still flowing tears. "And that's all I wanted. Let me see your wound." Weiss's wound had finished reforming into what was once her smooth skin.

The healed flesh all converged into one point: a single gold rose with an eye within the center nest of its petals. Such an intricate pattern in such a small space, and yet so tantalizing. While still holding her with one arm, Jaune moved his free hand to test the wound for any pain. Upon lightly grazing the golden insignia with his index finger, he witnessed Weiss's face flush red and she recoiled into the fetal position. "Did I hurt you? Are you in pain? What's wrong?!" he frantically asked as he retracted his hand from her skin. Weiss stammered out "N-no. It f-felt really weird. It was like my whole body was dipped a warm milk bath. But there was no pain. Jaune you saved my life. " She failed to mention to him the amount of awakened pleasure she experienced. She decided to keep quiet about it.

Jaune's tears slowed to a stop and he wiped them away as he adjusted his hold on her in his arms. "I'm just glad you're back. I almost lost you. I'll be stronger from now on. I promise I'll pull my weight on this team." Weiss looked at him with a sense of longing. "You've pulled your weight this whole time. Now you are here pulling mine. You're my hero Jaune." "Just you wait, and I'll prove it to you." Jaune beamed with new resolve. "Now let me help turn the tide of this fight."

Jaune scooped Weiss into his arms and carried her to Ren. "She's in your care now. Guard her with your life. I have something I need to take care of."

Ren nodded firmly. "Don't worry about us. I got her covered." stated Ren. "I have full faith in you." Jaune turned toward the elevator Cinder and company took and hardened his face in anticipation. A calm settled over Jaune as he started toward the elevator. A calm before the storm the storm he was about to unleash. He stole a glance at Weiss, smiled, and rushed to handle his unfinished business. He lost Pyrrha to her before. She tried to take Weiss from him. She was going to pay. Cinder was about to meet her maker.

"I'm scared for him." Weiss noted to Ren. "Not only is she unbelievably strong, but Raven and her lackey are with her too." Weiss coughed out. "He'll be just fine. I sense a new force within him. A very calm, yet, powerful force.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys, this is Chapter 2 of Ashes of Light. Please leave me any kind of comment or review where I could have made a change or simply express things you would like to see from me. I truly appreciate any and all input you guys give. Without further stalling, here's the second chapter._

When Jaune reached the elevator that would take him to his possible death, he stopped. Yang yelled out from across the room "Jaune, you better not be doing something stupid! I've already lost an arm I don't want to lose another friend." Jaune looked at her with a gleam in his eye and shouted back "I've got a plan to slow the fight in our favor. Keep these guys busy!" With newfound resolve, he remembered the first day of field training with Ozpin. When he was thrown into the air at the mercy of the wind, all he felt was fear. Now, standing above this elevator, he felt a power he'd never grasped before. He pooled his courage together and leaped from the edge of the elevator shaft.

Using his previous experiences as a guide, he used his shield to hop between the walls of the structure in order to protect himself from the impact at the bottom. He continued for a couple minutes until he reached the atrium of the Spring Maiden with his shield arm throbbing. After landing he focused his aura around his whole body and concentrated on calming himself. He looked around the atrium to find a breathtaking sight.

An enormous cavern filled with different species of trees and bioluminescent fungi surrounded him. Every conceivable color pattern was shown across the walls of the chamber. Plant life all streamed down toward the chasm that lay on both sides of the stone path Jaune landed on. Looking toward the end of the path, Jaune spots Raven with her assistant, Vernal. He also saw the woman who took his teammate away from him, Cinder.

Back in the fray of the battlefield, Weiss began to recover her strength. However, as her constitution improved, she couldn't help having the thought of losing Jaune creeping into the back of her mind. She wanted to see him again, to hold him, to feel his presence. "I must be losing my damn mind." Weiss thought to herself. "I get that he saved my life, but why do I feel as if I need him here?" Gathering herself and rising to her feet, she addressed Ren. "Thank you for watching over me. I appreciate it." He looked back from the battlefield. "It wasn't a problem. Especially since Jaune was able to heal you."

"I can sense that you're not done recovering though. Seems like he's not the only one with unfinished business." Ren noted haughtily. He was right. Weiss always hated that about Ren's Semblance. It was like he could read your mind before you had a chance to form the thought. The feeling from the symbol left by Jaune spread through her body and left her unfulfilled and restless. She wanted him to come back as a soon as possible. "You may be right about that." she said gingerly as she jumped into the heat of battle. "Make sure you don't die on me, Jaune." she thought.

Jaune followed the path while taking in the scenery around him. This place melted his fears and replaced them with an inner serenity and confidence that would serve him well in this challenge. With him around 50 meters of the group, all 3 members pull their weapons on him. Jaune puts his shield up and yells "I'm not here to fight! I'm here to help, Cinder." He then drops his sword, but continues to hold his shield. "But not in the way you think."

Flames lick the sides of Cinder's good eye and she moves toward Jaune with rising anger. "Don't test me, boy. I can and will bleed you if you are here to play games." Jaune looks at her with the force of a silent storm. "I can give you your eye back."

Triggered.

Cinder launches herself at Jaune and grabs him by the throat with her left hand. The entire limb looked as if it were coated in Grimm essence. However, Jaune remained calm and instead of resisting, he spread his arms apart to show no form of retaliation. Cinder then released her grip and glared at Jaune's face. She drew back. "You really mean it, don't you?" Straining his voice while lowering his arms in relief, Jaune croaks "I can do my best."

Cinder looks puzzled and asks "Why would you do that for me? I took your girlfriend away from you." Jaune grimaced and Cinder continued "I don't trust you." Jaune scoffs "Lady, I've already dropped my sword and let you choke the hell out of me. What more can I do? Just because you took something from me, does that mean I have to take something from you?" Raven interjects "Why haven't you disposed of him yet? I'm running on your schedule." Cinder then retorts "Raven, this can wait. I promise you, this will be worth it." Raven rolls her eyes toward the door and then has a seat. "Your preference, I'll be here."

"How do you intend to fix me, boy?" Cinder seethes. "I just awakened my Semblance and did the impossible." Jaune stated. "Weiss lives by my hand. I have the power to fix your eye and want to help you. May I hold your face?"

Cinder looks back at Raven and Vernal giving them the "kill him if he tries something" look. She then turns back to Jaune. "I'm in your hands, Goldilocks."

He then places his hands on both sides of her face and began to focus his energy toward the base of her skull. His body began to glow, causing Raven to stand and ready her sword. Jaune's aura then flowed onto Cinder's face and began the repairing process. Cinder felt as if her mind was being torn apart as bone and sinew began to reform along her cheekbone. She screamed out in pain as the process continued. She heard Raven running to her aid when she held up a hand signaling that she was in no danger.

When Jaune finished the healing procedure, the same gold rose with an eye in the center formed itself on Cinder's cheekbone. He then smoothed his thumb over it to test her for pain. In an instant, she rolled her eyes up in her head, dropped to her knees, and moaned in ecstasy. Jaune grabbed her back and asked "I was really able to bring it back, but are you okay?" She shivered at the thought of his touch and straightened herself. She looked around the area with her newly formed eye. Her eyesight began with a sunflower tint to everything, but slowly faded to normal after a couple dozen blinks. "You really did what you said. You fixed it…" Stuck with internal conflict, Cinder didn't know whether to kill or kiss him. After the way he touched her cheek, the latter seemed a more viable option. To make things more confusing, Yang had just joined the party…


	3. Chapter 3

Ashes of light 3

The sound of a still desert enforced the air around them. Silence shifted as all eyes turned to Yang. They studied her with one unified thought: "Why is she here?" She looked angry. No, enraged is the right word. Even from 5 meters away, the heat she emanated was monstrously offensive. She looks at Jaune, then to Cinder, and finally Cinder's eye. Yang's rage slowed and shrank in size, like the force of a tornado being compressed and compacted into a marble. After suppressing her anger she finally spoke.

"Jaune. I'm confused and I have a lot of energy I need to get rid of. You have 12 seconds to explain why the hell you aren't fighting and why THE FUCK you are cradling that bitch's face in your hands?!" Yang spits out in fury.

Jaune was stuck. The thought of how his teammates would feel about this situation never crossed his mind. He was so enthralled with his power he had to test its limits as soon as possible, not caring about what repercussions he may face. He then quickly gathers himself and sputters out "Yang, I know this looks bad but, I couldn't stop myself. She's agreed to cease the vault raid for helping her." He then cups Cinder's chin in his right hand and stares provokingly into her eyes. Jaune had a sense that she would understand where he was going with this.

She winces internally, straightens her back and speaks with her usual authority. "Jaune here is correct. I have decided to stop my personal assault on the vault. However, those two may have other plans."

Yang looks in the direction of her mother and her lackey, Vernal, and grits her teeth.

"So let me get this straight, _mom_. Instead of staying out of the fight, like you wanted me to do, you chose to side with the enemy. I guess you could add being a blatant hypocrite to your list of shining qualities."

Raven rolls her eyes. "Yang, I tried to warn you and be nice about this. But since you decided to continue with your little adventures, you've gone ended up in the big girl league. Turn back before you get your ass handed to you."

Letting anger blind her senses, Yang then jets toward her mother, ready to deal a staggering blow. However, Vernal close the distance between the two faster than expected and struck Yang in the stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. Yang steps back and catches her breath and grows in strength, due to her semblance. She glares at Vernal and utters "If you want a challenge, you got it."

Raven then yells out from a distance "Be careful, Vernal. Not only is she strong, she's also my daughter. So be sure not to hold back!"

After Yang calmed herself and Vernal tightened her gauntlets, the two began to circle their fighting ground, sizing each other up and looking for a slight twinge that could be a fatal opening. Yang decided to strike first with a right straight, only to be countered by Vernal blocking with her gauntlet equipped forearm. After knocking Yang back, Vernal realized that Raven's daughter packed a bit more of a punch than she thought.

Raven looks at everyone in the distance and thought to herself "I'm gonna keep myself busy."

She then cuts a portal to exit the chamber, but didn't notice her usual crimson portal had a faint gold tint to it. After stepping through the portal, Raven appears next to Jaune and Cinder and assesses the severity of the situation. She grabs Jaune by the collar and looks him dead in the eye and threateningly asks "What games do you think you are playing at, boy?!"

Jaune relaxes his demeanor and gently responds with maintained eye contact, "I don't know, Raven. I promise you."

Raven shifted her position, folded her arms over her chest and gritted. She then spoke in a mutter, barely audible so Jaune could still hear "It seems that your semblance is more than it seems."

Jaune, as if in shock, became entranced in a past thought. He recalled as a child practicing with a stick to mimic sword moves on his family estate. He slowed his practice when noticed his visiting cousin, Ayven, holding something close to him in the grove.

Jaune put down his stick and slowly approached Ayven so he wouldn't scare the damaged creature. He hesitantly asked "What are you doing with that bird, dude?" Ayven looked up with eyes of remorse and said "I've been using my semblance to block the pain for it. I can block pain for others but not myself. I just wish I could heal this bird entirely." Jaune smiled with a big grin and said "At least you have a semblance and you're using it for good. I'm sure this little guy appreciates it. It hasn't left your hands yet, so I'm sure it likes you." Ayven sighed "If only I could fix its wing…"

Jaune came back to the grove every day to check on the progress of the bird's recovery and eventually obtained the courage to hold the bird. The bird immediately took a liking to him, nestling itself in Jaune's palms. The two cousins continued this for a couple days and talked about the differences in each other's families and similarities between the two boys themselves. Both boys spoke about their battle-hungry lineage and the huge name that they have to live under.

One of Ayven's biggest fears was not being useful with his semblance to help on the battlefield. Jaune picked his spirits up by teaching him sword techniques so he could still defend himself on the battlefield of the future. The young bird stayed as audience to them and slowly recovered over these days. It seemed like things were going decent rate and life would be alright. Then Ayven stopped coming to the grove.

He became deathly ill overnight. The house medics say that his respiratory system had slowly begun to deteriorate and his breathing would become harder to maintain. Jaune wasn't made aware of the illness until the day of the funeral. The funeral was to be held in the family mausoleum near the grove. On the day of the funeral, Jaune shed no tears. He was in a state of still grief. He understood that his only family friend was gone, but his lived his life well.

Jaune was lost, swimming in his thoughts before vigil started. That is, until he felt a familiar weight on his shoulder. The very bird he and Ayven spent time nursing was now here on his shoulder. The two sat vigil together as the dawn approached. Every time Jaune almost nodded off, the bird lightly pecked him to keep him awake. When dawn crept over the horizon, the bird nuzzled itself against Jaune's cheek one last time before flying off into the distance. He understood the message the bird left on him: _don't let the past stop you from flying forward_.

Having internalized the lesson, Jaune was overcome with peace and joy, contrast to his family. He then began to train ever harder, so he could be the best huntsman. He did it not only for Ayven, but also himself.

After fading back to reality, Jaune realized he always had his semblance he just didn't use it because he didn't know about it. He had power in him all this time…


End file.
